Clothes wringer



April 3, 1940. s. E. SCHROEDER 7 2,198,462

CLOTHES WRINGER Filed Dec. 13, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 fza s1 1 $1 4 m R ao Sz'nwm April 23, 1940. 7 s E SCHROEDER 2,198,462

, CLOTHES WRINGER Filed Dec. 13, 1935 s Sheets-Sheet 2 April 23, 1940.

s. E. scHRoEDER CLOTHES WRINGER s Sheet-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 13, 1935Patented- Apr. 23, 1940 PATENT OFFICE CLOTHES WRINGER Simon E.Schroeder, Chicago, 111.

Application December 13, 1935, Serial No. 54,284

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in power-driven wringers of theroll type.

One object of the invention is to. provide in a wringer havingcooperating rolls, which are pressed into engagement. with the work byspringpressure means, compensating mechanism whereby the pressure on thework is automatically regulated in accordance with the thickness of thework.

A further object of the invention is toprovide in a wringer of thecharacter set forth spring compensating mechanism, wherein saidcompensating mechanism forms a part of means for transmitting thepressure from the rolls to the spring means.

Still another object of the invention is to pro-.

. vide in a wringer having cooperating rolls and spring-actuatedpressure means comprising two independent spring units receiving thepressure from opposite ends of one of said rolls, means forsimultaneously adjusting the tension of said independent spring units.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a wringer havingcooperating rolls, combined means for yieldingly pressing one of saidrolls toward the other and limiting movement of said yieldingly pressedroll outwardly of its support ing means.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from thedescription and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings, forming a partof this specification,

Fig. 1 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view of my improved wringer,certain parts being shown in elevation. I

Fig. 2 is aview similar to Fig. 1, showing the parts in a differentposition.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal, sectional view corresponding substantially tothe line 3'3 of Fig. 1, said view being broken to accommodate the sameto the sheet of the drawing and certain parts being omitted.

Fig. 4 is a vertical, sectional view corresponding substantially to theline 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of certaincompensating mechanism for the top roll of the wringer.

In said drawings, A indicates the main frame of the wringer, and B aswinging frame supported on the main frame. The main frame A has ahousing C forming a part thereof. The housing C has 2. depending sleeveportion 10 adapted to telescope over the usual upstanding drive shafthousing or standard of a washing machine. The housing C contains thegear mechanism for driving the wringer from the associated washingmachine. In this connection, it is pointed out that the drive shaft,which is contained in the hollow standard of the washing machine, isoperatively connected to the driving elements of the washing machine ina well known manner. This shaft is coupled to the gearing of thewringer, as is common in connection with devices of this kind. The usualmanually-operated means is provided for controlling rotation of thedrive means for the wringer rolls in reverse directions and fordisconnecting the drive means to stop rotation of the rolls of thewringer.

The frame A has upstanding side arms ll--ll at opposite sides thereof,which serve to support the swinging frame B. The side arms ll-ll arelined with filler castings l2-I2, which are fixed to said arms. Thelower end portion of each filler casting I2 is inwardly. offset, asindicated at l3. The offset sections l3-l3 of the castings l2l2 haveguideways in which supporting slides "-44 are'mounted for verticalmovement. 7

A stop roll I5 is carried by the swinging frame B, and a cooperatingbottom roll I6 is carried by the main frame A. These rolls are of theusual type employed in wringers. The roll I5 is pro-' vided with a shaftH, which is fixed thereto and 30 projects from opposite sides of saidroll and is rotatably journaled in bearing blocks l8-l8, hereinaftermore fully described. The bottom roll I6 is provided with a shaft I9,which is fixed thereto and projects from opposite ends of said roll. Therolls l5 and I6 are intergeared to rotate in unison by means of gearmembers 20-40 and 2ll20 fixed to the shafts of said rolls.

The projecting ends of the shaft l9'of the roll l6 are rotatablyjournaled in sleeves 2l-2I of swinging guard members 22-22, which shieldthe gears 20-20 and 202ll.and serve to properly guide the articlesoperated upon between the rolls I5 and I6. The sleeves 2I--2l of theguard members 22-22 are supported in seats provided- The meanshereinbefore referred to for raising and lowering the bottom roll l6,together with the mounting for said roll, forms subject matter of mycopending application, Serial No. 54,283, filed December 13, 1935, nowPatent No. 2,114,404, issued April 19, 1938, and is fully and completelydisclosed therein, and therefore needs no further detailed descriptionin connection with the present application. The shaft IQ for the bottomroll I6 is operatively connected in any well known manner to the drivinggearing in the housing C of the frame A'of the wringer,, the right-handend of said shaft (Fig. 1) being coupled to the driving means.

In swinging frame B includes a stamped heavy sheet metal housing 21having spaced, vertical side walls 28-28 and front and rear walls 29-29connected bya curved top wall. The central portion of the housing 21 iscontracted, as indicated at 30, said contracted portion forming a seatin which a rocking saddle member 3| is supported. To the inner faces ofthe side walls 28-28 are secured castings 32-32, which have sleevesections 33-33 formed at the upper ends thereof, the openings of whichare in alignment with the openings of sleeve sections 34-34 on thecastings |2-|2 of the arms of the main frame A.

The swinging frame B is pivotally supported on the upstanding arms ofthe main frame A by trunnion members 35-35 fixed to said upstandingarms. The trunnion member 35 at the left of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is in theform of a headed screw secured within the threaded sleeve portion 34 ofthe casting l2 of the corresponding arm II, the bearing portion of saidtrunnion member being of smaller diameter than the screw-threadedportion thereof and extendin into the sleeve section 33 of the casting32 at the corresponding side of the swinging frame B. The trunnionmember 35- at the'right of Figs.

1, 2, and 3, is in the form of a cylindrical sleeve having a head at theouter end and a threaded section secured within the sleeve portion 34 ofthe casting l2 of the corresponding arm ll of the mainframe A. Thejournal portion proper of this trunnion 35 extends into the sleeve 33 ofthe casting 32 at the corresponding side of the swinging frame B. Theheads of the trunmon members 35-35 are preferably of such a' shape as tofit a wrench for manipulating the same. 4

The swinging frame B is locked in centered position with respect to theframe A to hold the roll IS in operative relation with the roll 16during the operation of the wringer, releasable locking means controlledin part by the rocking saddle member 3| being employed for that purpose.The particular type'of releasable locking means which I prefer to employis that disclosed and claimed in my copending application, Serial No.54,282, filed December 13, 1935, and includes a spring-pressed latchplate 36 on the frame B engageable with a fixed keeper 3] on the frameA, corresponding to the latch plate and keeper disclosed in saidcopending applLcation and operated in the same manner. In thisconnection, it is pointed out that although I have herein shown myimprovements as embodied in a wringer having a swinging frame whichcarries one of the rolls, the same are not limited to wringers of thisparticular type but are equally well adapted for use with wringers ofany type having cooperative rolls.

As shown, mostclearly in Fig. 3, the sleevelike section 33 of eachcasting 32 is of relatively large internal diameter at one end, asindicated at 38, and of relatively smaller internal diameter at theother end, as indicated at 39. The sections 38 and 39'are separated by awall 40 having a central opening therethrough. The sleeve sections 33-33at opposite sides of the frame B are reversely arranged with theopenings 38-38 at the outer ends thereof, said openings forming bearingseats for the trunnions 35-35, which abut the walls 40-40. The openings39-39 at the inner ends of the sleeve sections 33-33 are internallythreaded.

The top roll I5 is carried within the swinging frame B by means whichyieldingly forces this roll against the bottom roll l6, therebypermitting the roll l5 to lift upwardly to accommodate the article beingpassed between the rolls and yet maintain the proper pressure. The meansfor carrying the top roll I5 includes the bearing blocks |8- l8,hereinbefore referred to, which are slidably guided for verticalmovement in guideways 4|-4| provided in the castings 32-32 of theswinging frame B. As shown'in Fig. 4, each guideway 4| is formed by apair of spaced, vertical flanges 42-42 on the corresponding casting 32.Each bearing block I8 is of two-piece construction, as shown in Figs. 1,2, and 4, the sections thereof being secured together in any suitablewell known manner. The bearing blocks |8-|8 are suspended by pairs oflinks 43-43 and 43-43, as shown most clearly in Figs. 1, 2, and 4. Thelinks 43-43 of each pair are pivotally connected at their lower ends tothe corresponding bearing block l8. At the upper end, the links of eachpair are pivotally connected to a pair of triangular lever plates 44-44at the outer lower corners of said plates. The lever plates 44-44 and44-44 are arranged in pairs at opposite sides of the mechanism and theplates of each pair are pivotally supported on the frame B. The plates44-44 of each pair are disposed at opposite sides of the sleevelikesection 33 of the casting 32 at the corresponding side of the frame Band are pivotally supported at their upper ends by a pivot pin 45mounted in upstanding side wall sections 48-46 on the sleeve section 33.To the inner lower corners of each pair of lever plate members 44-44 arepivoted a pair of links 41-41, which serve to connect the lever platemembers "-44 with a follower 48, to which the opposite ends of theselinks are pivoted, as indicated at 49. The followers 48-48 are slidinglycarried on a shaft 50, which extends into the bearing sleeve sections33-33 of the castings 32-32 at opposite sides of the frame B and, ashereinafter pointed out, is employed to adjust the tension of thesprings which yieldingly resist upward movement of the top roll l5.These springs are two in number and are indicated by 5|-5|. Each spring5| cooperates with one of the spring followers 48, said springsurrounding the shaft 50 and being intersleeve section 33 at one side ofthe mechanism are left-hand, while the cooperating threads of the sleeve52 and the sleeve section 33 at the opposite side are right-hand. Aswill be understood, rotation of the shaft will thus effect movement ofthe adjustable spring abutment means at opposite sides of the mechanismin reverse directions. effected by means of a hand wheel 54 connected tosaid shaft by a short shaft fixed to the hand wheel and having the innerend thereof slotted, as indicated at 56, to receive a driving lug on thecorresponding end of the shaft 50. As shown in Fig. 3, the shaft 55 isjournaled in the opening of the trunnion member 35 at the correspondingside of the frame A. The parts are proportioned so that the springfollowers 48-48 normally abut each other, thereby limiting the expansionof the springs 5l-5l and also.

limiting downward displacement of the top roll 15 through the connectinglinks 41-41 and 4343 and the lever plate members 4444. The limit ofdownward displacement of the roll I5 is such that it will have properpressure contact with any article interposed between said roll I5 andthe roll I 6 during the operation of the wringer. When an article ispassed between the rolls l5 and 16, the roll I5 is forced upwardlyagainst the resistance of the springs 5l--5|, the links 43-43 and 43-43,which are pivotally connected to the bearing blocks l8-l8, being raised,thereby rocking the lever plate members 4444 and 44-44 on their pivots45-45 and effecting outward movement of the links 41'41 and 41 41 andpulling the followers 48-48 out wardly against the springs 51-51,compressing the latter against the adjustable spring abutments of thesleeve sections 33-33 of the castings 32-32 at opposite sides of theframe B.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, each lever plate member 44has, in effect, a short arm and a longer arm extending from the pivot 45thereof, the short arm extending from the pivot 45 to the pivot of thelink 41, and the long arm extending from said pivot 45 to the pivot ofthe link 43. The effect of the arrangement of the long and short arms ofthe lever plate is such as to reduce the motion transmitted from theroll I5 to the spring follower 48 and the spring 5| of the correspondingmeans for ieldingly opposing upward movement of said roll, The spring 5|is thus compressed through a distance which is less than the distance ofupward displacement of the roll l5, as clearly indicated in Fig. 5, inwhich 51 indicates the amount of upward displacement of the roll l5 and58 indicates the distance through which spring 5| is compressed. It isfurther pointed out that there is an additional differential movement ofthe bearing block 18 and the follower 48 due to the arrangement of thepivotal connections of the lever plate 44 with the links 43 and 41 andthe positions of the links 43 and 41 with respect to the pivot 45. Aswill be evident, the connections between the roll l5 and the springs5l.-5I thus form compensating mechanism to permit different thicknessesof material to be passed between the rolls without too great a variationin the amount of pressure exerted thereon. The compensating mechanismfurther provides for proper distribution of the pressure on an articleof varying thickness. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the top roll I5is thus readily tiltable to properly accommodate an article which is ofgreater thickness at one end Rotation of the shaft 50 is thanat theother and properly distribute the pressure over said article.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferredmanner of carrying out my invention, but the same is merely illustrativeand I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within thescope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a wringer, the combination with a frame, a pair of cooperatingrolls mounted in said frame for relative separating movement; of acarrier at each end of one of said rolls'rotatably supporting said roll;independent means yieldingly opposing movement of each carrier, eachindependent means including a spring resistance element, a cooperatingspring abutment, and motion reduction transmitting mechanism fortransmitting pressure from the carrier to the spring resistance elementto compress the same against said abutment; and means for simultaneouslyadjusting said abutments to adjust the tension of' said spring elements.

2. In a wringer, the combination with a frame, a pair of rolls mountedin said frame for relative separating movement; of a carrier member ateach end of one of said rolls for rotatably supporting said roll; a pairof springs; followers interposed between said springs and normally inabutment with each other to limit expansion of said springs; and meansfor transmitting pressure from said carrier members to said followersrespectively.

3. In a wringer, the combination with a frame, a pair of rolls mountedin said frame for relative separating movement; of means yieldinglyopposing displacement of one of said rolls including carrier means atopposite ends of said roll for rotatably supporting the same, a pair of.independently acting springs. followers at opposite ends of eachspring, one follower of each spring being adjustable, means fortransmitting pressure from one of said carrier means to the remainingfollower of one of said springs, and

means for transmitting pressure from the other of said carrier means tothe remaining follower of the other spring; and means for simultaneouslyadjusting said adjustable followers to change the tension of saidsprings.

4. In a wringer, the combination with a frame, a pair of rolls mountedin said frame for relative separating movement; of a support; right andleft threaded adjustable abutment sleeves having threaded engagementwith said support at opposite sides thereof; a rotatable adjusting shaftextending through said sleeves, said sleeves being slidably'connected tosaid shaft and rotatable therewith; tandem-arranged spring elementssurrounding said shaft and having their outer ends bearing on saidsleeves; an inner spring follower at the inner end of each springelement, said inner spring followers abutting each other to limitexpansion of said tandem spring elements; a carrier at each end of oneof said rolls for rotatably supporting the same; means operativelyconnecting one of said carriers to the inner spring follower of thespring element at the corresponding side of the support; and meansoperatively connecting the other of said carriers to the inner springfollower of the other spring element.

yieldingly forcing one of saidrolls toward theother including a supportat each end of said roll, in which said roll is rotatably mounted, apair of springs, and mechanism ior transmitting pressure from saidsupports respectively to said springs, said pressure-transmittingmechanism having interengaging parts for restricting movement thereof tolimit movement of said yieldingly forced roll toward said other roll.

6. In a wringer, the combination with a frame,.

l mally in abutment with each other to limit expansion of said springs;and separate means connected to the respective followers fortransmitting motion from the carrier members for compressing therespective springs.

7. In a wringer, the combination with a frame having a pair ofcooperating rolls supported therein for relative separating movement; ofa carrier member at each end of one of said rolls rotatably supportingsaid roll; and means yieldably opposing displacement of said carriermembers, each of said means including a spring resistance element, afixed and a relatively movable abutment between which said springresistance element is interposed, pivoted lever means having a pair ofarms, means for suspending the associated carrier member from one ofsaid arms, and means connecting the other arm and the movable abutmentfor pulling the movable abutment toward the fixed abutment to compresssaid spring resistance element.

8. In a wringer, the combination with a frame having a pair ofcooperating rolls mounted therein, shiftable bearing means supportingone of said rolls for movement into and out of co0perative relation withthe other of said rolls, and an assembly for yieldably resisting themovement of each shiftable bearing means in a separating directionincluding fixed and movable abutments having spring means compressedtherebetween under a predetermined minimum tension, and means forpulling the yieldable abutment toward the fixed abutment as theassociated bearing means moves in a roll separating direction.

9. In a wringen'the combination with a frame, a pair of cooperating topand bottom rolls movably mounted in said frame; of a vertically guidedcarrier member at. each end of said top roll rotatably supporting saidroll; and independent means yieldingly opposing displacement of eachcarrier member including a spring resistance element, pivoted levermeans having a short arm and a long arm, a. link on which said carriermember is suspended, said link being pivotally hung on said long arm,and a second link pivotally connected to the short arm and to the remoteend of said spring resistance element for transmitting pressure to saidspring resistance element.

10. In a wringer, the combination with a frame, top and bottom rollssupported by said frame for relative separating movement from acontiguous position; a vertically slidable carrier member at each end ofsaid top roll in which the same is rotatably joumaled; independent meansfor yielding opposing displacement of each carrier 'member including aspring resistance element,

lever means pivoted on said frame and having a pair of arms, link meanssuspending said carrier member from one arm of said lever means, andmeans-connected to the other arm of the lever means fOI' transmittingpressure tosaid spring resistance element to compress the same; andfixed abutment means against which said spring is compressible, saidfixed abutment means being adjustable to vary the spring tension.

SIMON E. SCHROEDER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,198,LL62. April 2 19!;0.

' smon E. SCHROEDER.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1,sec- 0nd column, line 26, for the word "stop" read -toppage 2, firstcolumn, line 15, for "In" read --'1'he--; page 1 second column, line 29,claim 10, for "yielding" read --yie1d.ing1y--; and that the saidLettersPatent should .be read with this correction therein that the same mayconform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of August, A. D. 191m.

Hem-y Van Arsdale,

(Seal) :ting Connnissioner of Patents.

